Over the past few years, former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista may have traded his wrestling boots for the silver screen, but his antics within WWE still remain well known. The Animal was one of the hottest properties in the promotion back in the early 2000s. He went on to win six world titles during his time with WWE and also had some high-profile feuds with Triple H, John Cena, and Kane, among others.
One other aspect of Batista’s career in the early days was his obsession with women. By his own admission, Dave Bautista was a womanizer, as he did not do drugs or alcohol. As his success in the ring grew, so did his popularity among women.
This ultimately led to him having an affair with fellow superstar Melina. The female superstar was, at the time, the manager of MNM, which included Joey Mercury and John Morrison. During a segment on WWE programming, Melina was seen flirting with The Animal to get MNM out of a match against him and Rey Mysterio. This seemingly led to a real-life relationship between them and apparently cost Dave Bautista his first marriage.
“I didn’t drink or do drugs. Women were my drug of choice. I would have 10, 20, 30 girls throwing themselves at me. I wasn’t equipped to handle it. So I took advantage.”
When people make fun of Batista to me it’s annoying. Just because I had an incident w him YEARS ago doesn’t mean I wanna make fun of him. It’s the past and VERY old news. We made amends and ended that negative energy a LONG time ago. pic.twitter.com/KCwaRHKz4I
— Shelly Martinez🦇 (@ShellyFromCali) May 8, 2023
Although the superstar never admitted to being in a relationship during any interviews, he wrote about it in his book Unleashed. Released in 2006, the book detailed his affair with the female superstar and how that affected his marriage. It also almost cost Melina her then-relationship with John Morrison.
WWE legend Dave Bautista’s history with women haunts him
Apart from Dave Bautista’s affair with Melina, it has also been reported that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion had flings with former female superstars such as Layla El and Rosa Mendes. The Animal tried desperately to stay away from drugs, but his affinity toward women cost him dearly.
He later realized that his problems were taking a toll on his family and personal life and decided to clean up his act. The Animal detailed in an interview that he wanted to be a good role model for his daughters and also regretted his “chapter with all the women.”
“I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life, and I haven’t been an angel,” he said. “But if I could change anything, it’d be the chapter with all the women. It hurt the people I love.”
Every day I say a little prayer for Drax. The role that changed my life. Forever grateful to the fans and my Guardians family. What a magical journey it’s been. Thank you for letting me be your Drax. 🙏🏼 #DraxForever ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mK5u8sLTI1
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) May 5, 2023
Several years later and far away from a wrestling ring, Dave Bautista has indeed been able to turn himself around. He has transitioned into an exceptional movie star. His latest film, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, has been making waves in Hollywood and has propelled him to superstardom. It remains to be seen what else is in store for Drax.
